Drive mechanism



J 2,1945 N w. .R. GRISWOLD 2,366,253

DRIVE MECHANISM Filed May 29., l959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. I

ATTORNEYS Jan. 2, 1945. w. R. Gmsw'oLD I 2,366,253

DRIVE MECHANISM Filed May 29, 1939 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Ufflaz; *M

ATTORNEYS Tfmechenism" infi'vliicha ritrblled plerietei'ygeor- PatentedJan. 2, 1945 i I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE *l f? 2366,25; j l i ilnn'rvnmlcnmsrr i r wglter Bl Gristvold, Detroit, Mich, Minortc V "1 Hlnckard'Motor Car Company, Detroit,- MiolL, l i icorporation'oiMichinn;e i-spisucst nmiizmmss;staun h-16:11:

v v v 1 -3 v .7 v

This invention reletes to rn otorvehicle transsociated; sho vin'gj thetransmission mechanism Emission lmechanism -thet ;-ce n be; regulatedposition tor-reverse drive; varyv the driving, speed ,delivered, byselective Fig, 218' sgdiajzrem of the control mechanism changespeedgearing L I tor the transmission mechanism erranzed to provsome motorvehicle transmission-mechanisms 5 vide overdrive; l v are:.nw equipped,with planetary gea ring' hes Fig.3isa'sectional view or thenlechenisnrior ,tween the change speed seating and tlie tail varyiniztelm W W '1'FQ QWh PP ,shai't. thatcan be controlled to provide ofldirectspeed eearingto the tail'shait;

wear has been held stationerynnd released b'y10 Q IFiT- means ot adevice responsive to a solenoid .under, l, Fis Slash-sem sters!sectional view-showin control the driver, usuallvby mechanism operthedriving connection between the tail shnft and oble tromthe scceleratorpedal. 'ln'a'ddition to the governorin'overdlfiv m i i nh typeioicontroLjsLgovernor device in the Referring to the dravvings bycharacters of i'orn pf a. centrifugal clutch'hasalsohbeenassoi: I flfiilr pre en s' t fld bo d "O a ciated mlt he plnneterygearingvtohiechjanicglly flt f iiiotoi'fvehicle body having at'*the' front endestablish} modified drive shovels, predetermined thereof n= toe board'II that terminates-at its forvehicle speed "Such centritugfil zovernorcgnfwardendin at dean i2." Theinstru nent panel "oiflmeens hss beenarrarige'dtd conriecjt "two I3 carries {conventional ignition switch N-that ff ements that'jate rot 'a'ting. ,a.tjdiflereritspeeds goisfcontroiled b yhn key ll; A s N-whenflrst operating tjcestablishsmqdiiied driver transmitting unit consists of the en- ,giiis' sp dyanaundeslrsble noise and we r'ndve .jglne it; the main clutchcontainingcasing i1 b een ffbund lltov result, 'In additlon tothese un-"at'the' resrol the engine, a change speed gearing tgdesirshiclcoiiditions' t juse} oigsluclra} mech'anthe-'rea'rot the clutchcasing, vand icsl' g'overngii device nds t cbr ripficgtethe cesing ljstthe rear oi" the transmission mechatrensniission'iniechgnisyr gpq'lncreag-th rca'sini containing drive modifying mecha- It is' a n'cb1jebjt,fdi";,th'i vent to pro'v de a conventional' and controlled bya, pairsofzshift I hsm mafia 101 typ "r e 'e rods-' and 2| actueted byconventional-mecham whj'qh th'e clutch elilminati 6: nisnnunder thecontrol of a shift leverv (not *shown' extending tromthe'tower 22orrtop; of

the casing l8. The Shift" rod It carries a yoke efldrt q a spee ov 5 s mwilder-selectively establishing either first or-re- 5 bdgymgth i versedrive, the. gear element in its rearmost I ugh; bj @position'meshinrwitmtheconventional reverse q The driven snott at the rearnendof the i ii v I 1 Jchsnge" speed gearing-projectsithroughthe'fronturther' dbject' i'sjftc brq'vidie 'trsh's'mlgsmn 6- svllll :01: thecasing-1 l: and is suitably supported mg} inf constant drive relationwith? s, i i v i witlfshitft ll is 'atailshaft" that projects i sh t?jnq maliv'sop t d "t l aim! m through the rearwa'll oi casing i 9 and issuitably supported thereinby ball'be'aringsflu These shifts and areconnected in'idriving' relatiqn by mechanism thatcim be controlled toselectively provide a" direct drive 1 between the f'shefts, or a;modifieddrive-irozn shaft toshait 21 which at this instance isoverdrive, -oradirect 5b drive through nn overrunning clutch. 1Associated t with theshaftii ispl e'netary gearing consistingspttmeaada, hd

in yvhic portioqsplinedto shaft 25 pill-trying Journals Ifiz. l is edisgrerninaticview crepe on 0! j. ,on'which pl'enet gears 3|ererotetabiy mounted. mes-sh eel-with Winil le ele fis r es r me with,new w h x ":1 'nisni." 'lt'he change speed gearingin lcasingrl-l is ltherein by baiibearing It. valnaxial alignment but sg zsj'lmiilngeredmtardlyextending' sleeve "="t'erminates'inia control knob 51;

By pulling the knob outwardly from the dash, thelever 55' ismovedforwardlyand rocks the shaft 54 tooperate the cam 53 so that theactuator-50 fixed toltheishaft 41-ismoved1rearwardly and as the yoke 45lies thereagainst it is'also :moved rearwardly thus, moving theclutch-sleeve .31 rearwardly so that the teeth 39 will engage.

the clutch 40' ofdrive element 4|.

clutch teeth 36, and an axially shiftable clutch sleeve 31 telescopesthe forward portion of this flange 35 and has internal teeth 38 that arein constant meshing driving relation with the teeth the clutch sleeve isengaged with the planetary ring gear clutch by spring 48.

The planetary gearing is controlled by means of a device/associated withthe sun gear whereby the gear is locked'or released. In the presentinstance a collar 58 is splinedto the forward end of the sun gear andsuch collar is provided with a flange 59 having a plurality of radiallyextending recesses 60 adapted to receive a pawl ,GI.

sun gear.

forward wall of casing l9 and is normally urged This collar could be anintegral part of the The pawl is slidably mounted in the into lockingrelation with the sun gear flange 36. At the forward end of thisshiftable clutch Y sleeve are provided internal teeth 39'that can bemoved into or out of driving engagement with teeth -40formed on the rearend 'of the clutch element 34. A driving member 4| is splined to.therear of the shaft between the flange on" the tail shaft and theplanetary cage 2 9. This driving member has teeth similar to andarranged to align with the clutch teeth 36 so that they can be engagedby the teeth 39 of the clutch sleeve 3,1 when shifted to rearmostposition.

driving member formed with a rearwardly extending flange 42providing camsurfaces and between such cam surfaces and the interior'wall of the tailshaft flange 35 is arranged'a plurality ,of rollers 43 carried by a cage44 adapted to provide an, overrunning. clutch connection between themember 41. and the tail shaft 21;

The clutch sleeve 31 is shiftable manually to provide a directdrivingconnection'from either by means of a coil spring 62. Thus the sungear is normally locked so that it is fixed against rota.- tion and,under such circumstance, the planet gear carrier being driven with shaft25 will cause the planets to rotate around the sun gear thereby rotatingthe ring gear .12 at a faster speed than theshaft 25.

of' thedrive from the change speed gearingto the tail shaft and providesa decrease in the over-all drive ratio.- In other words, when thesungear is held stationary and the drive -is through the planetarygearing'to the tail shaft,

the speed of thedrive shaft 21 is steppedup-beyond'direct drive toprovide overdrive. Whenthe theclutch .element 34 or the driving member4| tothe tail shaft 21, thus eliminating-the drive'through-thefoverrunnmg clutch when the" sun gear is "held stationary toprovide overdrive. ,'In

order to control the position of this clutch sleeve 1 it isengaged'by ayoke 45 forming one end of a U-shapeddevice that includesa ring 46,slid- ,ably'mounted'upon a shaft 41 that is mounted ;for limited axialmovement in casing 19, and a c nnectingstra-p l41.- A coil spring .48surrounds theshaft 41 and is anchored atits rear end to I such shaft bya spring, clip 49, and its front end .;bears' against the yoke, '45.-Fixed on the shaft 41 in advance of the yoke is an actuator memberhaving apair of spaced-fingers 5| depending therefrom between which acam element 52 extends. This cam element is carried by an arm 53fixed-upon the'end of a shaft 54 iprojecting through and carried by theside wall of casing 19. Fixed to the outer endof .thisshaft 54 is a wire56 that extends to the instrument panel and A direct drive thus providedfrom shaft 25 to shaft 21.

Thissameresult can be'accomplished when the change speed gear mechanismis associated' in a reverse-drive relation as shown in Fig. l. V iorder. to obtain reverse drive, therail 2Iis moved" rearwardly and it isprovided with a shouldered extension that projects into thecasing i9 andpushes'the yoke 45 therewith on shaft 41 so that the cliitch'teeth aswill be caused to mesh with the teeth' ill on drive element 4|.

manually shifted in the two ways just described,

Except when pawl is "withdrawn from the sun 'gear -the planetary gearingis free toidle asaunitjand dOesnodrivin'g. v

The pawl'is moved from and held outof looking relation Withthe sun gearflange by an electro-magnetic device in the form of a solenoid 53; Thecontrol of this electro-magnetic device is so arranged that the vehicledriver can energize the same whenever desired that is' at will, and

j there is-another control opcratedfiinaccordance with predeterminedspeed ranges'of the .driven shaft, corresponding to the-"speed of thevehicle. The arrangement is preferably such that the electro-magneticdevice will functionfto with- .draw the pawl from the sungearbollarwhe'nthe vehicle is traveling below a predetermir'ied speedand to release the same above such speed.)

The .controls for the electro-magnetic device are associated withtheelectrical system for the engine preferably in order .that the 1overdrive gearing can thus be regulated only whenfthe ignilever andconnected to the lever 55is a Bowden tion is turned on and can beutilized vto function in certain relations with the engine sparkcontrol.

Associated with the en ine isan'i nition system that includes sparkplugs for. the cylinders as shown at 65, a distributor and a coilfl. Thedistributor is connected to the sparlrj plugs by the usual conductorwirings 68 and between the distributorfand the ignition coil is a hightension conductor line 59 and alow tension conductor line 10. Theignition coil'is'connected with the ignition switch i4 by aconductorline i 1 I and another conductorfline 12Ileads from the ignition switchto a winding," of a relay indicated generally at 14." The groundedbattery is indicated at 15 and is connected by a conductor .16with aterminal v11 (01 the grounded starter 7 motor". To this terminal 11is'connected 'a conductor line 19 leading to a contact of the relay. Inthe relay is a switchmember 8l'normally held away from the contacts and,by

a coil spring 83 but'arrangedto establish the circuit therebetween undercertain conditions when the ignition switch is closed.

' The contact 82 has a conductor line 84 leading therefrom to asolenoid,- indicated generally at 84, having a pair of windings 85 and86 that While the planetary gearing isthus being controlled it willincrease the speed tact .ip'redetermined amount such relation With thetail 2,866,253- surround'the 'plunger actuator :1 having a. .ball

end portion pivotally mounted in a cross slot in pawl Ii The coil isgrounded while the coil 301s connected by-a conductor line 88 withabreakermember' '89 pivotally mounted and insulated as indicated at 90.The breaker member i preferably formed of resilient material thatnormally holds its contact 9|, to which the conductor line *88-isattached, in engagement with the" terminal 92 on the contact element 03,such elementbeing grounded as at 30 to some suitable part of thevehicle. The coil 80 when energized acts to move the actuator 01'outwardly from the sun gear collar. Thelow tension line in the ignitionystem has associated therewith a ;ground outgarrangeinent for operatingin timedrelation with the-solenoid system. This ground-out ar rangementincludes a disk switchilt fixed to a stem extending through an openingin the solenoid casing 31. the disk being arranged to engage theterminals 08 and "but is normally held out of such engagement therewithby a coil spring I00 seated against a wall or the solenoidhousing. 1 Aswitch structure, indicated generally by the f numeral IOI, carries a:pair of oppositely disposed contacts I08 and H0. "A conductor. line IIIconnects the contact IIO with the contact 08 and the conductor line I00connects the con- .tact IOB'with the coil terminal to which theconductor line is connected. Arranged within this switch housingf'is amovable plungerr I02 ,having one end projecting through arr-end of thehousing and the opposite end engaged by a spring I05 normally urging theplunger toward its'projected position. This plunger carries a pair.otco'ntact members-J03 and I04, the'contact member I04 beingarranged toestablish the. connection between the contacts I08 and H3. The

contact member I03 is arranged to establish a connection between thecontact" I 01" and the con- I08, the contact 'I0l' being a suitably ingwith gear 0'. fixedon a cross shaft III. in the casing I3. on shaft I IIis a gear I Il3 lmeshs ingwith adrivegear I20 fixed on thetail shaft. Itwill. be understood that such drive mechanism I providesa speedreduction so that the governor acts in accordance with vehicle speed.This shaft I I0 rotates centrifusally movable members indicated at I20which .in their movement, control an over-center switch of conventionaldesignindicated at I2I. This switch isiairai'iged to make or break thecircuit through a pairmicontact elements I22 and I23. A conductor'lineI2! condicatedgenerally at I20, and aiconductorline nects the contactI22 with a control member, in-

I 26. is connected with the. contact .member I 23 and the coil I3 oi therelay I4.

.This contact I22 -01: the ,govemor.;.can be grounded directly ifdesired butit has beenfginnd that under some circumstances. it isdesirable to have :some means for temporarily grounding out the:govemor' circuit. Various types; of grounding. out controls can be usedfor this 'purpose but in the illustratediorm a vacuum -.con.-

troileliztype of device is illustrated.--, A vacuum casing I .issuitably flxed to the engine by; a tube I31 and has a-flexiblediaphragmplatey-Ifl therein that can be movedin responseato cires-v surevariations. The upper walltofxthe housing is open to atmosphere and thetube I3I connects the lower part of the casing with the engine in takemanifold I33. Fixed to the'diaphragmis a pin I34 thatprojects throughthe upper 'wall. of the casing and controls switch, of conventionaldesigny indicated. generally-at I35- This switch is arranged to-en'gagegrounded as indicated. This projecting end of I the plunger I02 isarranged to beactuatedto close the contacts-just mentioned throughmechanism under manual control. The arrangement is suchthat this switchcan be operated at will and it ispreierably arranged to be actuated-by ainechanisrn' associated with the accelerator pedal so that the contactswill be closed when r, the accelerator pedal is depressed beyonditslower dotted position, see Fig. 1 where wide-open throttle-isobtained. The "dicated at,II2 and is pivoted at III to the toeaccelerator pedal isinboardq Extending through the toe board. and

fattaehed to. the pedal "is an actuator rod Ill that is pivotallymounted to an arm Iii fixed 'on a shaft II6 with which mechanism (notshown) is connected for operating the throttle.

.Thearm H5. has anupstanding boss arranged V to lie beneath theprojecting, endo'f plunger I02 so thatwhen the accelerator pedal isdepressed this boss willmove upwardly-and push the plunger inwardly ofthe switchhousing to close the switches carried thereby.

Governormeans is associated in the electrical. system for controllingthe electro-magneticdevice so that a solenoid will be eilective "tourgethe pawl 1 out of 'lockingrelation with the sun gear whenever thevehiclespeed is less than some as thirty miles per hour for example. Thegovernor is indicated generally at Ill and it-is connected in drivenshaft 21.; Shaft II! car-- causingthe Iswitchwl to engage contacts tor.

the circuit to the distributor.

.ordisengage a contact I 36 with which the conductor lineI24 isconnected and there is aground indicated at I31 ior this casingwIlllpeDepression of the accelerator pedal beyond wide open throttle position,as shown inifull lines that it .pushes the switch plunger. I02 :upwardlyI03 and II 0 and the switch I03 to engage the contacts I01 and. I03',theswitch I00closingslightly in advance of the switch I03L 'I'heJclosing-oiswitch I03 willcompletmthecur'rent through the relay to energize thesolenoid coils, thus ydrawingthe stem 93 held out of engagement with thesun gear collar shown in the the sun gear is free to rotate not bestepped-up by the planetary gearing so as long as the pedal is presseddown beyond wide openthrottle position and with and the drive will thatthe tail shaft 21 will be driven at the same speed asthe drive shaft 20.l e l i The centrifugal governor isset to close switch a I when thevehicle istraveling below some predeterminedspeedsuch asthirty miles perhour and'to open the switch when the vehicle is traveling above suchspeed. Assuming that the contact I22 isgrounded, although this is. not

drawing, the weights I20 will be actuated tomove the switch I2I so thatthe cirrice the weights and has a worm gear IIi' meshan over-center typeof in :Fig. 1, will move the arm IIlupwardly-so the pawl releasedNormally qin 'position establishing a direct fixed driving y-connectionbetween the planetaryring gear-.and the tail shaft; Withsuchrjconnection engaged, release; 9f h l f ot es n g ar will a s :the:drive to be from shaft ,2 .through member an the-ov r n in l tc 'ii-tthe ta shaft, planetarygearing idling; When the pawLis geggagedto-fix'thesun gear, the .driyewillbe from \s locked -position"by apressure that cannot be overcome by the average solenoid. until. .sub-.stantially idling engine operation is reached. During'such period-thesolenoid will be energized causing an unnecessary drain on the batteryand miles" per hour. The drive result:

- as soon as torque undue deterioration of the solenoid coil wind- Inorder to overcome'this loss of current when the solenoid fails towithdraw-the pawl when decelerating below thirty miles per hou'r,-.acontrol means is connected in series withthe contact I22. Various formsof control means can be'employed for this purpose but inthisinstance-the vacuum device I is utilized. The vacuumresponsive'plate 132 controls the switch I and as the housing isgrounded the switch I35 will'openor' close the governor circuitwhen-moved away from or intoengagement with contact'l3B that isconnected, with contact I 22. When decelerating the accelerator pedal isof .courseallowed to lift and the pressure in the intake manifold beingreduced pulls the diaphragrn I32 to open ,the' switch I 35 thus Jleaving the governor circuit open while the torque is reducing. 8- ShowninrF ga-2; and when substan- 'tially idling speed is reached or when thethrottle is closed pressurein the manifold increases; and the diaphragmwill be moved to close the switch and thus establish the governor.)circuitnto, the relay.

lifted,'current,to the solenoids. is .cut off during '-be disturbed byany of the yariousother contro1s.-

- I spring 48, holds the sleeve clutch 131 aft; 25 througncarrier .Z Q-planet gears; 31, ring gear 32, sleeve 31 to tail shaft'Z-I, the'planewry, gears vrotatingaround the afixedj sun gear will increase-thespeed :of -rotation of the tail Y shaft to provide overdrive. Thus,whenthe ac-, celerator opera-ted. switch; is engaged the pawl 1 s, e aed da he ve w llm u. di e fro shaft 25 to shaftnfl through theoverrunning clutch; and when such switch is open the. pawl, unlessotherwise influenced, is engaged and-overs Thus, during-deceleratingbelow thirty" miles per hour and with the; accelerator pedal cuit to thesolenoid is closed as the vehicle speed drive is throughtheplanetarygearing, sleeve clutch 31 .to the-tail shaft, Whentheivehiclel speedis below thirty milesperflho'ur, the'go'vf ernor' ll'l'functions unless the ground-qout con trol is employed, to closeacircuit energizing. thesolenoid-so that the pawl will belwithdrawnj;will permit, so that thdriv'ef is direct through governor opens thecircuit to the solenoidand the pawl is, engaged so thatthe planetaryunit establishes overdrive to the tail shaft., The elec-. trical systemfor controlling the solenoid mayor mays-not'include the ground-outcontrol for the governor circuit to-the relay. I v,

-Itlwill;be 1 seen that the, planetary gearing is directly clutched tothe tail shaft except during reverse vanddashbutton cut-out, Thesolenoid is controlled either manually or in accordance with vehiclespeed to shift back and forth from overdrive to ,direct drive.

Although the invention has izoeenj described in connection with aspecific embodiment, the prin- .ciples involved are susceptible ofnumerous other same, and a driving connection betweenthe'tail shaft andthe governor, said governor being ef- =fective belowfa predetermineddriven shaft speed jto clo se said switchl =-the, period' consumed forrelieving the {engine torque gsufllciently I for the solenoid towithdraw the pawl.-:. {i 2, ;As previously mentioned,gthejreverse shiftrail ymovesand retains theclutch. sleeve 3! in relation to establishdirect'drive from the member 4! to the tail shaft 21 when-the changespeed igearing is in reversedrive relation. Likewise the -sleeve 31canbe'shifted to. a similar relation, by pulling outthe knobjl at thevdash. Under both ;.c-ir cu-mstances there. 'will be a direct positivevdrive from shaft 25 to shaft.21-that can not a shiftable pawlapplicationswhich will readily occurto persons skilled in the art, Theinvention is therefore to be limited only as indicated byjthe scope ofthe appended claims. Whatiscla'imedis: j .1. In a motor vehicletransmission mechanism having a'tail shaft adapted to be driven byaplanetary gearing including a sun gearinfdrive'n ,relation with ashaftdriven atselected speeds,

' for the sun gear comprising engageable to prevent rotation .of

the sungear, a spring normally urging thefpawl into position holdingsaid gun gear,fe1ectromagcontrol mechanism netic means operable todisengage'the pawl'from hold g relationfwith the gear including aswitch,a governor for lactuating 'said switch to closethe a motor vehicle"transmission mechanism having. alplanetarygearing in'driving relationwith, 'a tail shaft including a sun gear, control "mechanism for, theplanetary gearing comprising ashiftable pawl engageable to hold the'sungear,

a spring normally urgingfsaid pawl intofgear holding'positiom. anelectric system including'a solenoid for shifting said. pawl out of[holding relation with said gear, a pair of switches each operativetofclose andopen a circuit to the solenoidha speed operated device forclosing onefof the switches, and "a manually: operable" device forclosing the other switch;,. said speed operated device being effectiveto close the switch wit'h'which i it iis associated below apredetermined speed of o' j'the tailshaft."

'3; In at ,ans'm sion mechanism, the corn-bina- 'tion for, a dr venshaft "having ,a driving 'cllit ch member fixed thereon; a'tail shaft aplanetary overdrive ear ng including a planetary cage fixed on thedriven shaft,pl'anetary pinions -Inounted on the cage, a ring gearengaged by-said pi'nions 'gear havin'ga" driving 'connecti'o'n with :theplanetary 'pinionsr loosely i mounted onthe :driven shaft clutch meansnormally positioned .to drivihgly connect thegiririg gear and the tailshaft means normally holding thesunegear; solenoid. ,Ihfiansforreleasing saidlsun; gear holding means,v means operable at will forcontrolling said soleno d means, and governor means responsive to thespeed-of thetail shaft and operative below the overrunning clutch, abovethirty miles per hour, vehicle speed the m a predetermined speed of thedriven shaft for controlling said solenoid means to release said sungear holding means independently of said means operable at will. i

4. In atransmission for'motor vehicles, a driven shaft; a tail shaft; anoverrunning clutch means for directly connecting the said shafts;planetary gearing including a sun gear looselymounted on thedrive'shaft, a planet carrier fixed to the drive "shaft and a ring gear;a clutch normally connect-i ing said ring gear and tail shaft indirectdriving relation; .control means operable to hold said sun gear fromrotating; and apair of means for opcrating said control means similarlyand independently to hold the sun gear, one .of said pair of means beingoperable by the driver andthe shaft between the planetary gearing andthe tail shaft, a spring normally engaging the shiftable clutch sleevein positive driving relation directly with an unheld portion .oftheplanetary gearing out of engagement withthe clutch member, meansoperable to shift said clutchsleeve into engagement with the member, andan overrunning' clutch in driving relation directly between the clutch.member and the tail shaft.

6. In a power transmission for driving a motor vehicle having aninternal combustion engine provided with an electrical ignition circuitand a driver manipulated throttle control; a driving shaft adapted toreceive drive from the engine and a tail shaft adapted to drive fromsaid driving shaft, planetary gearing operable between said shafts fordriving the tail shaft from the driving shaft, holding means forcontrolling the operation of'said planetary gearing, means forcontrolling operation of said holding means, said means including asolenoid for effecting release of said holding means, means operated byactuation of said throttle control for controlling the energization ofsaid solenoid, solenoid actuated means for momentarily interruptingoperation of said electrical ignition circuit when controlled by saidmeans operated by said throttle control, and speed responsive means forcontrolling energization of said solenoid independently ofsaid throttlecontrol operated means.

7. In a power transmission for driving a motor vehicle having aninternal combustion engine provided with an electrical ignition circuitand a driver manipulated throttle control; a driving shaft adapted toreceive drive from the engine and a tail shaft adapted to drive fromsaid driving shaft, planetary gearing operable between said shafts fordriving the tail shaft from the driving shaft, holding means forcontrolling the operation of said planetary gearing, an electric systemincluding a circuit having switches in parallel and a solenoid forcontrolling operation of said holding means, means operable by thevehicle driver for controlling one of the switches, means actuated bythe solenoid for momentarily interrupting operation of said electricalignition circuit when controlled by the driver operated means, saidsolenoid actuated means further including a follower member forrestoring operation of said electrical ignition circuit, and governor inparallel with (8. In a motor vehicle transmission mechanism havingplanetary gearing including a sun gear, control mechanism for said sungear comprising a' shiftable. member operable to hold or release said,sun gear, means for shifting saidmeniber comprising a circuit includinga solenoid and a pair of switches in parallel for controlling energizingand deenergizing ofsaid solenoid, driver operable mechanism forcontrolling one of said switches, and automatic means for controllingthe other switch.

9.111 a motor vehicle transmission, driving and driven shafts, planeta ygearing including a ring gear member, a planet gear member and a sungear member, said gearing being adapted, when one of said members isbraked, to transmit drive of one ratio, another of said planetarymembers being connected to the drive therefrom, a manually shiftable jawclutch element adapted in one position to connect the third planetarymember to the driven shaft in driving relation establish a one way driveof a lower ratio upon release of the braked member for rotation, saidmeans for controlling the switch the driver controlled switch.

jaw clutch element being adapted in another position to provide a directtwo way drive across said one way drive means, means for braking saidfirst member, a solenoid for operating said braking means, and agovernor for controlling the energization of said solenoid.

10. In a transmission for motor vehicles, a

driven shaft; a tail shaft; planetary gearing having a carrier fixed tothe driven shaft, a sun gear, a ring gear, and planet gears on thecarrier meshing with the ring gear and the sun gear;

drivenshaft; planetary gearing means operable to selectively brake orrelease the sun gear; a clutch member fixed to rotate with th ring gear;a clutch member fixed to the driven shaft between the ring gear clutchmember and the tail shaft; a sleeve clutch member slidably splined onthe tail shaft and overlying said clutch members, said sleeve clutchmember being shiftable to drivingly connect either of the clutch memberswith the tail shaft; and a one-- way drive means operable to drivinglyconnect the driven shaft directly with the tail shaft when the sleeveclutch member is disengaged from the clutch member on the driven shaftand the sun gear is released.

11. In a transmission for motor vehicles, a driven shaft; a tail shaftaligned with the having a carrier fixed to the driven shaft, a' sungear, a ring gear, and planet gears on the carrier meshing with the ringgear and the sun gear; speed governor operated means operable to brakeor release the sun gear; a clutch member fixed to rotate with the ringgear; a clutch member fixed to the driven shaft between the clutchmember fixed to the ring gear and the tail shaft; a sleeve clutch memberslidably splined on the tail shaft and when the sleeve member prising ashifiable shiftable to connect either of the clutch members with thetail shaft; and a one-way drive means operable to automatically connectthe clutch member fixed on the driven shaft direct- 1y with the tailshaft during forward drive and is disengaged from the clutch member onthe driven shaft and the sun ear is released.

-12. In a motor vehicle transmission mechanism having planetary gearingincluding a sun gear, control mechanism for said sun gear commemberoperable to hold or drive shaft to receive thereto, means toautomatically solenoid, means responsive to a predetermined vehiclevspeed for controlling the circuit to the solenoid, and means in serieswith said speed controlled means and responsive to engine intake Ivacuum for controlling the circuit to the solenoid.

14. A control system for a motor vehicle overdrive having a planetarygearing sun gear with a locking ring comprising a pawl for engaging theoverdrive sun gear lockingring, a solenoid for moving the pawl, acurrent circuit for the solenoid, speed responsive switch meansin'thecircuit, switch means, responsive to engine intake vacuum in the circuitin series with said speed responsive switch, and throttle responsiveswitch means in parallel with the speed responsive switch.

WALTER R. GRISWOLDJ

